Specialized
All Condition Armadillo
Tires - Clincher

Product Description

Our All Condition road tire does absolutely everything well, making it one of the best all-around tires available anywhere. Proprietary Armadillo flat protection assures riders can cover as much terrain as they want and never have to worry about punctures. The lightweight dual-compound siped tread blends all-condition traction even in wet conditions with exceptional wear. Top it all off with our motorcycle-inspired dual radius design (DRT) that minimizes contact in straight lines, while maximizing contact surface and traction in corners.

I live in the southwestern U.S. desert and have been using these tires for years. I usually get about 3,000 miles on the rear 25 tire and about 4,000 miles out of the front 23 tire. I weigh 180. Before I discovered the Armadillos I confess that I would get near crazy sometimes from the number of flats I experienced, but since Armadillos I have mellowed considerably. The rare flat tire now is usually when the tire is worn down from too many miles or I encounter serious road debris like a sheet metal screw or tough staple, etc. I have considered trying Continental Gator Skins as I hear good things and have read good reviews, but I am hesitant to trade in what I know for the unknown. As they say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I forgot how much I love these tires until I recently had a slow leak in the valve and had to either rush home or change the tube. Oh yeah, so that's what a flat is like. Got back into cycling 4 years ago, I ride whenever the weather is good and I can squeeze in the time, 300 to 500mi per season. I ride an 89 Cannondale, one of the harshest frames known to mankind. Was still running the stock tires believe it or not. First two seasons were filled with pain, fatigue and 4 flats. Bike was way too rigid. 30 MPH was downright scary. Every bump felt like the bike was going to shake out of my hands. I kept going back to my old Raleigh Pursuit 27x1.25 for comfort. Turns out I was just as fast on that old tank because there was no fatigue. Bought some 700x25 Armadillos and a gel seat for flat protection and comfort. Feels like a whole new bike and no flats yet in two years, 800mi. Now I spend my free time riding instead of swearing by the side of the road. 30MPH is not scary anymore because it feels stable. I'm not a racer but I like to ride fast. Traction has been fine. I know I do a lot of things wrong, harsh frame, gel seat, toe strap pedals, big tires, no biker clothes and usually no helmet but I don't care. The bike feels stable and comfortable and I love riding as much as I can. Thanks Specialized! These tires are well worth the money.

Weaknesses: outer rubber casing starts to crack on side casing, just where black rubber meets side casing.

Bottom Line:

apart from side casing starting to crack , found tyres very good for 2 years , from new.only had 2 punctures and rode for 2 years, main roads city, country tracks and mountain lanes .very good overall.i dont race so tyre is good for my training and commuting.

have bought these on sale for my SL3-roubaix in 25 as the roads here are horrible. I have instantly felt the change of the ride quality, they do iron out the rough yet when accelerating I felt like being stuck to heaps of chewing gum. I have swapped them after 40 Ks for bum smashing 23s

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
Marco Paganotto
a Recreational Rider

Date Reviewed: March 22, 2013

Strengths: They should be very resilient to damage. They offer good shock absorbtion. They seem to grip pretty well. They are fairly cheap, costing $38 each here in the UK.

I have only just purchased these tyres, so have only put in 55 km so far. It is too early to comment on their puncture resistence but at 410g they had better be bullet proof! Judging by their construction, they should be very strong. Drawing a comparison with 3 other tyres i have experience with (Conti GP4000s 25mm, Conti Gator Skin Hardshell 25mm and Hutchinson Fusion Tubeless 23mm) they have a very different ride feel. This is obvious i guess as the other tyres i mentioned are far lighter, with only the Conti Gator being in a similar vein. But compare them i will! The GP4000s is an amazing tyre. It weighs 210g in 25mm, so half the weight, and feels sublime to ride on. They float over the road, however, over large road inperfections like pot holes, they transfer the shock in a wrist destroying manner! They accelerate like lightening and grip amazingly. The downsides are, they are prone to sidewall damage that seems to appear from nowhere, and tread slicing right from the get go. At $55 a pop they are a tyre you almost dont want to use, and in 7 months of owning my road bike i have destroyed 3, all suffering from catastrophic tears and sidewall fails! So on to the Conti Gator Skin Hardshell 25 mm, personally i think they are dreadfull! They attempt to balance GP4000s type characteristics with puncture protection but fail epically! They dont grip anywhere near as well as the GP4000s, they dont have the refined ride feel of the GP4000s and feel quite wooden and they puncture easilly, in fact just as easilly as the GP4000s! And the worst bit, they cost more too at $61. Dont bother! The Hutchinson Fusion 23mm is a great tyre, although hugely expensive at $60. I have been running mine for 7 months with no punctures, and thats without any latex sealant too! There is a little damage visable but nothing has managed to penetrate ...yet! Very fast rolling, very grippy and fairly shock absorbing too, but a total pain in the arse to fit and inflate and with a very delicate bead that can be destroyed just by using a tyre lever when fitting! Great tyre but a total diva! So...back to the Spesh, it is certainly cheap (in the UK) when compared to the others i have described and it appears to be very strong too. Obviously it is a very different tyre to the others and is designed for trouble free commuting, however at twice the weight of the others, and a subsequent noticable loss of ride quality, i have my fingers crossed that they are truely puncture resistant. If they aint and they flat within the next 6 months i will be asking the question, why lug a super weighty hosepipe around when you can have a refined lovely ride feel from proper race tyres? The only reason to own these tyres is because punctures suck! I have always had faith in Spesh tyres though, their MTB compounds are great, so hopefully their road tyres continue that tradition, we shall see.